Who Dares, Wins
The Longines Spirit collection celebrates the indefatigable essence of famous adventurers and their pioneering deeds
SUCCESS MAY BE SWEET but survival comes first for explorers, who rely on their tools to stay alive. Anything else, even the mission’s objective, is secondary. And adventurers from aviators to alpinists universally agree on the need for a good timepiece for this.
Longines’ new Spirit collection recalls the golden age of adventuring, and comprises timepieces that combine features found in the classic aviator and field watches of yore. An oversized crown, distinct dial and hands, and a robust steel case are just some of these elements.
Accompanying these vintage-flavoured accoutrements is a slew of modern fittings, like the in-house calibres L688.4 and L888.4 ‒ Longines’ first COSC-certified movements ‒ that come equipped with silicon hairsprings. Other features like longish power reserves of 60 (L688.4) and 64 hours (L888.4), antireflective sapphire crystals and screw-down crowns confer a level of reliability that’s de rigueur today.
The Spirit collection has both three-hand and chronograph models. The former is available in 40 and 42 millimetres, with both variants featuring large Arabic numeral indices and lumed baton hands that allow the time to be read at a glance. The case’s brushed finish, meanwhile, reduces glare and lends a utilitarian vibe to the timepiece.
Moving on, the Spirit chronograph presents itself in a familiar three-register layout housed in a 42-millimetre brushed steel case. The sub-dial at nine o’clock displays the running seconds, while the ones at three and six o’clock house the minute and hour totalisers respectively. The chronograph-related hands are all visually distinct thanks to their red tips, so the elapsed time can be read quickly and easily. Snailing on the three sub-dials, on the other hand. provides an additional level of texture and visual interest.
Both models are available in various references. In terms of colour, their dials come in matte black, grained silver, or a third option in blue with a sunburst texture. The choice of straps is equally varied, and range from a matching steel bracelet to leather straps in dark brown, light brown or blue. Interestingly, the time-only model also has a “Prestige” edition that’s delivered with three straps: a steel bracelet, a regular leather strap and a NATO leather strap.
Every timepiece in the Longines Spirit collection will have the brand’s signature “tempus fugit” winged hourglass logo in relief engraved on the case back, to commemorate the brand’s history with adventurers such as Howard Hughes and Amelia Earhart. Time may fly by for most people, but it stands still for the honoured few. AM